1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a food container provided with handles for lifting and/or supporting thereof.
More particularly, the present invention is concerned with a container for containing foods adapted to be heated in a microwave oven. The container is provided with handles or support members converted from an existing portion of the carton structure.
The temperature of the handles, after the carton is removed from the microwave oven, is not cool, but is somewhat higher than room temperature, yet the handles are comfortable to the touch.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Microwavable gable style cartons, both top and end loaded, are currently being utilized for microwavable food preparation and heating.
In a top loaded carton, the gable corners have to be sealed. For an end loaded carton, the gable corners do not have to be sealed.
Conventionally, a carton is either an end loaded style or a top loaded style carton which is loaded with bulk or pouched products prior to sealing the carton, and the carton's structure is designed and intended to be heated in a microwave oven. Once the carton and contents are prepared for microwaving, the carton is placed into the oven and subjected to a heating cycle. Following completion of the heating cycle, the container is removed from the microwave oven.
These cartons, however, once heated, are extremely cumbersome and hot to handle when removed from the microwave oven or heating source. Since current carton designs do not employ handles or lifting members to assist in handling, the cartons must be removed from the oven utilizing some form of gripping utensil or hand protection to keep a food handler from being burned by the hot carton.
The container is conveniently formed from a single board or cardboard member, as done heretofore, which may be provided with a single coating or a double coating of polyethylene or polypropylene. The carton board is a solid bleached sulfate board which is the conventional standard kind of board in the art.
In order to print graphics onto the container, as done heretofore, the coating is extruded onto the paper at the mill and then printing takes place o top of the coating.